Behavioral Psychology Unit 5

Learning

The process of acquiring through experience new and relatively enduring information or behaviors

Habituation

Decreasing responsiveness with repeated exposure to a stimulus.

Associative learning

Learning that certain events occur together

Stimulus

Any event or situation that evokes a response

Respondent behavior

Behavior that occurs as an automatic response to some stimulus

Cognitive learning

The acquisition of mental information (observing events; watching others, language)

Classical conditioning

A type of learning in which we link two or more stimuli

Behaviorism

Psychology 1. should be an objective science 2. studies behavior without references to mental processes.

Neutral stimulus (NS)

In classical conditioning, a stimulus that elicits no response before conditioning

Unconditioned response

In classical conditioning, an unlearned naturally occurring response to an unconditioned stimulus

Unconditioned stimulus (US)

In classical conditioning, A stimulus that unconditionally, naturally and automatically- triggers an unconditioned response

Conditioned response (CR)

In classical conditioning, A learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

Conditioned stimulus

In classical conditioning, An originally neutral stimulus, that after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response

Acquisition

In classical conditioning, when one links a neutral stimulus to an unconditioned stimulus, so that the neutral stimulus begins triggering that conditioned response (learning to fear a rat by pairing it with a loud noise)

High Order conditioning

A procedure in which the conditioned stimulus in one conditioning experience is paired with a new neutral stimulus, creating a second conditioned stimulus. (pairing a light with the bell to create salivation)

Extinction

The diminishing of a conditioned response

Spontaneous recovery

The reappearance, after a pause, of an extinguished conditioned response

Discrimination

The learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and similar stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus

Operant conditioning

A type of learning in which a behavior becomes more likely to occur if followed by a reinforcer or less likely to reoccur if followed by a punisher

Law of effect

Thorndike’s principle that behaviors followed by favorable consequences become more likely and unfavorable consequences become less likely.

Operant Chamber

In operate conditioning, A chamber containing a bar or key that an animal can manipulate to obtain a food or water reinforcer.

Reinforcement

In operate conditioning, any event that strengthens that behavior it follows

Shaping

Operant conditioning procedure in which reinforcers guide behavior toward closer and closer approximations of the desired behavior.

Discriminative stimulus

In operant conditioning, a stimulus that elicits a response after association with reinforcement. (traffic lights)

Positive reinforcement

Any stimulus that when presented after a response, strengthens that response

Negative reinforcement

Any stimulus, that when removed after a response strengthens the response (not a punishment)

Primary reinforcement

An innately (in born characteristic) reinforcing stimulus (one that satisfies biological need)

Conditioned reinforcer

A stimulus that gains its association with a primary reinforcer (also known as secondary reinforcer)

Reinforcement schedule

A pattern that defines how often a desired response will be reinforced

Continuous reinforcement schedule

Reinforcing the desired response every time it occurs

Partial reinforcement

Reinforcing a response only part of the time

Fixed-ratio schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified number of responses

Variable-ratio schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response after an unpredictable number of responses

Fixed interval schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response only after a specified time has elapsed

Variable-interval schedule

In operant conditioning, a reinforcement schedule that reinforces a response at unpredicted time intervals

Punishment

An event that tends to decrease the behavior that it follows

Biofeedback

A system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension.

Preparedness

A biological predisposition to learn associations, such as between taste, and nausea, that have survival value

Instinctive drift

The tendency of learned behavior to gradually revert to biologically predisposed patterns

Cognitive map

A mental representation of the layout of one’s environment

Latent learning

Learning that occurs but is not apparent until there is an incentive to demonstrate it

Insight

A sudden realization of a problem’s solution; contrasts with strategy based solutions

Intrinsic motivation

A desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake

Extrinsic motivation

A desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards to avoid threatened punishment

Problem-focused coping

Attempting to alleviate stress directly- by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor

Emotion-focused coping

Attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs, related to our stress reaction

Personal control

Our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless

Learned helplessness

The helplessness and passive resignation and animal or person learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events.

External locus of control

The perception that chance or outside focuses beyond our personal control determine our fate

Internal locus of control

The perception that we control our own fate

Safe-control

The ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards

Observational learning

Learning by observing others

Modeling

The process of observing and imitating a specific behavior

Mirror neurons

Frontal lobe neurons that some scientists believe fire when we perform certain actions or observe another doing so. The brain’s mirroring of another’s action may enable imitation and empathy

Prosocial behavior

Positive, constructive, helpful behavior. The opposite of anti-social behavior.

Operant Behavior

Behavior that operates on the environment, producing consequences

Positive Punishment

Weakens behavior by giving you something you don’t like

Negative Punishment

Weakens behavior by taking away something you do like